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Playstation 2 News

GDC 10: PS3 The Lead Platform For Medal Of Honor

The new Medal of Honor is shaping up very nicely and best of all, EA is using the PlayStation 3 as the lead development platform. Times are changing...

FFXIII Director: Missing Elements Like Towns Will Return

Director Motomu Toriyama speaks at length about certain missing elements in FFXIII, and adds that with the tech in place, those elements could return.

LotR: Aragorn's Quest Revealed As A Move Launch Title

The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest has been revealed as a Move-compatible title, and it'll be available for the motion controller's launch.

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Xbox 2 News

GDC 10: Pixar Knows How to Tell a Story

Game developers take notes from the pioneering studio.


GDC 10: More Mass Effect 2 Content on the Way

Mass Effect 2 (X360)
A new party member and more, for a price.


GDC 10: Cry Engine 3 Demo Reel

Crysis 2 (X360)
Prepare to be amazed. These are some of the most breathtaking visuals from GDC 10.


Nintendo Wii News

February NPDs: 360 Overtakes Wii, BioShock 2 Tops Software


The Wii doesn't often fall off its perch atop the console crowd, and when it does it's worth noting. The Wii slipped below the Xbox 360 this month, though the reasons aren't easy to identify. None of the consoles have seen price drops, so this seems more of a natural equalizing of the consoles than we've seen in months past. The last time the Wii slipped below another console was September of 2009, due to the PS3 price drop and launch of the Slim. The last time the 360 topped the Wii was September of 2007, during the Halo 3 launch. Now that the three are on par without any particular mitigating factors, we may see them swapping spots for a while.

Year-over-year sales were down, though the consoles saw moderate gains from January of this year. Still, all of the hardware manufacturers have reason to celebrate this month. The PlayStation 3 sales are up 30%, the 360 is on top of the console market, and Nintendo always has its trusty DS to sell like hotcakes.

February 2010 Hardware Sales

  • Nintendo DS -- 613,200
  • Xbox 360 -- 422,000
  • Wii -- 397,900
  • PlayStation 3 -- 360,100
  • PlayStation Portable -- 133,400
  • PlayStation 2 -- 101,900

Green Day: Rock Band Coming June 8

Green Day

UPDATE -- HMXHenry has confirmed on the Rock Band Forums that exporting will also be free for those who pre-order through GameStop. If you aren't interested in the other Plus features, it looks like that's the way to go.

ORIGINAL STORY -- Harmonix and MTV Games announced today that Green Day: Rock Band is set for a worldwide release on June 8, 2010. The game features over 47 tracks, including "Brain Stew," "Jaded," "Hitchin' a Ride," "American Idiot," "Wake Me Up When September Ends," and "Boulevard of Broken Dreams." We expect to see a full track list teased in the coming months. It sounds like Harmonix is aiming to take a similar archival approach to The Beatles Rock Band, offering unlockable images and rare videos of interviews and performances.

Unlike the Beatles version, however, we apparently won't be seeing instruments in the style of Green Day's own. This could be a sign that the days of large instrument bundles may be starting to wane, at least for spin-offs. Instead, the Wii standalone version is the cheapest option at $49.99, while the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions will be $59.99. As previously reported the game supports song exporting, but it will cost you extra. The "Plus" edition is only for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and costs an extra ten bucks at $69.99. For the money, you get special packaging, the export feature, and access to six Green Day DLC tracks. From the sounds of it, these are the tracks already available on the Rock Band store, but with added visual flair.


All about Japan's Anti-Violence Game Rating System

CERO

In Japan, the equivalent of the ESRB is the Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (CERO), the industry outfit responsible for giving content ratings to every console game released in the country. CERO rates based on a scale of five letters: A (all ages), B (ages 12 and up), C (ages 15 and up), D (ages 17 and up), and Z (ages 18 and up only).

That "only" attached to the Z rating has been the source of consternation for many a gamer in Japan. Unlike the ESRB's "Adults Only" rating, CERO's Z seems to be applied almost exclusively based on violence standards -- if there's too much blood, you're out. What's worse, while a Z on the box isn't as bad as an AO rating in America (or being refused classification at all in Australia, effectively banning it from shelves), it essentially means that the game cannot be advertised in any public manner within Japan.

The situation came to a head recently when Sony's God of War III was given a Z, even though the first two games both got D ratings in Japan. Game-store owners were, to say the least, miffed. "[The Z rating] basically means I can engage in no practical advertising," one Tokyo-based store owner blogged last month. "There are no TV ads, no videos playing in the store. The best I can do is put up posters and flyers, but no matter how great the game is, you can't show what makes it fun with still images. Capcom [the publisher of GOW 1 and 2 in Japan] spent all this time building up the brand, and now it's all ruined!"


PC Games News

The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom Trailer

The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom (Gold Edition) (PC)
This trailer focuses on the customization features in the game.


GDC 10: Pixar Knows How to Tell a Story

Game developers take notes from the pioneering studio.


The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom Trailer

The Settlers 7: Paths to a Kingdom (PC)
This trailer focuses on the customization features in the game.


PlayStation Portable News

February NPDs: 360 Overtakes Wii, BioShock 2 Tops Software


The Wii doesn't often fall off its perch atop the console crowd, and when it does it's worth noting. The Wii slipped below the Xbox 360 this month, though the reasons aren't easy to identify. None of the consoles have seen price drops, so this seems more of a natural equalizing of the consoles than we've seen in months past. The last time the Wii slipped below another console was September of 2009, due to the PS3 price drop and launch of the Slim. The last time the 360 topped the Wii was September of 2007, during the Halo 3 launch. Now that the three are on par without any particular mitigating factors, we may see them swapping spots for a while.

Year-over-year sales were down, though the consoles saw moderate gains from January of this year. Still, all of the hardware manufacturers have reason to celebrate this month. The PlayStation 3 sales are up 30%, the 360 is on top of the console market, and Nintendo always has its trusty DS to sell like hotcakes.

February 2010 Hardware Sales

  • Nintendo DS -- 613,200
  • Xbox 360 -- 422,000
  • Wii -- 397,900
  • PlayStation 3 -- 360,100
  • PlayStation Portable -- 133,400
  • PlayStation 2 -- 101,900

Sony's GDC 2010 Press Conference Now Over

Live Streaming by Ustream.TV

The 2010 Game Developers Conference is taking place in San Francisco this week, but you can watch Sony's press conference today in whatever room of your home you deem fit thanks to the glorious live stream above (and yes, pants are completely optional, provided sans-pants is appropriate attire for the room you pick).

The conference kicks off at 4PM PST (7PM EST), so come back in a few hours to watch whatever big reveals and announcements Sony has planned as they happen. Will we get more info on their motion controller? Maybe the first official motion controller games? Maybe an actual name besides "Sony Motion Controller"? Or maybe new games that don't have to do with the motion controller at all!

Come back at 4PM, and we'll all find out together.


All about Japan's Anti-Violence Game Rating System

CERO

In Japan, the equivalent of the ESRB is the Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (CERO), the industry outfit responsible for giving content ratings to every console game released in the country. CERO rates based on a scale of five letters: A (all ages), B (ages 12 and up), C (ages 15 and up), D (ages 17 and up), and Z (ages 18 and up only).

That "only" attached to the Z rating has been the source of consternation for many a gamer in Japan. Unlike the ESRB's "Adults Only" rating, CERO's Z seems to be applied almost exclusively based on violence standards -- if there's too much blood, you're out. What's worse, while a Z on the box isn't as bad as an AO rating in America (or being refused classification at all in Australia, effectively banning it from shelves), it essentially means that the game cannot be advertised in any public manner within Japan.

The situation came to a head recently when Sony's God of War III was given a Z, even though the first two games both got D ratings in Japan. Game-store owners were, to say the least, miffed. "[The Z rating] basically means I can engage in no practical advertising," one Tokyo-based store owner blogged last month. "There are no TV ads, no videos playing in the store. The best I can do is put up posters and flyers, but no matter how great the game is, you can't show what makes it fun with still images. Capcom [the publisher of GOW 1 and 2 in Japan] spent all this time building up the brand, and now it's all ruined!"


Nintendo DS News

Bakugan Battle Trainer Trailer

Bakugan Battle Trainer (DS)
Let the brawling begin!


CyberConnect2 Teases New DS Game

What's next from the developer of .hack and Naruto? We'll find out next week!


Majesco Entertainment Announces Crafting Mama For Nintendo DS

Crafting Mama (DS)
Newest extension of the best-selling Mama brand is due out this fall.